Brian Robson (born c. 1946) is notable for having mailed himself in a crate from

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

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California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in the mid 1960s.

Travel

In 1965, Robson was in Australia and didn't have sufficient funds to travel back home to

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. Inspired by the story of

Reg Spiers Reginald James "Reg" Spiers (born 14 December 1941) is an Australian former athlete who competed in the javelin throw at the 1962 Commonwealth Games, before his later conviction on drug smuggling charges. He is best known for successfully posti ...

, an Olympic javelin thrower who had performed a similar feat, Robson had his friends seal him in a crate that measured 36 × 30 × 38 inches and send him by post back to London. Supplies in the crate included: a hammer, a suitcase, a pillow, a litre of water, a flashlight, a book of

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

songs, and an empty bottle. Robson spent 92 hours in the crate before officials intercepted him in

Los Angeles, USA Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He was then

deported Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its Sovereignty, sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or ...

to London.Reynlods, Emm
The teenage stowaway who nearly died when he mailed himself to London
''News.com.au'' April 9, 2015 Robson's plan had been to be shipped directly to London on a 36-hour

Qantas Qantas ( ), formally Qantas Airways Limited, is the flag carrier of Australia, and the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and List of largest airlines in Oceania, Oceania. A foundi ...

flight from

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, but the connecting flight was full, and so the crate was left upside down for 22 hours on the tarmac until it was shipped freight by

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...

to Los Angeles before being transferred on to London. Because the areas where the crate had been stored were not properly heated and the crate had at times been kept upside down, Robson suffered greatly on his four-day journey, at times even slipping in and out of consciousness. It took him several days to recover in a hospital in Los Angeles. Robson settled down in his native Wales, retiring at the age of 60. In 2021, he wrote a book about his experience called The Crate Escape.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robson, Brian Stowaways 1940s births Living people Year of birth missing (living people)